Ramsey Lewis Biography
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist, and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received five gold records and three Grammy Awards since he started his music career.
Ramsey Lewis Age
He was born on May 27, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Ramsey Lewis Family
Lewis was born to Ramsey Lewis Sr. and Pauline Lewis.
Ramsey Lewis Education
Emmanuel attended DePaul University.
Ramsey Lewis Relationship | Spouse
He married Geraldine Taylor in 1954 and divorced in 1989. Later in 1990, he married Janet Tamillow.
Ramsey Lewis Children
He has seven children from his first marriage, fourteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Ramsey Lewis Nationality
Lewis has an American nationality.
Ramsey Lewis Net Worth
He has a net worth of $8 million.
Ramsey Lewis Career
He started taking piano exercises at four years old. Lewis would, in the long run, join a jazz gathering called the clefs. He later framed the Ramsey Lewis Trio with drummer Isaac “Red” Holt and bassist Eldee Young. They, in the long run, got together with Chess Records.
During 1956 the trio issued their presentation collection, Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing. Following their 1965 hit “The In Crowd” (the single came to No. 5 on the pop graphs, and the collection No. 2) they focused more on pop material. Youthful and Holt left in 1966 to frame Young-Holt Unlimited and were supplanted by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White.
White left to shape Earth, Wind, and Fire and was supplanted by Morris Jennings in 1970. Afterward, Frankie Donaldson and Bill Dickens supplanted Jennings and Eaton; Felton Crews additionally showed up on numerous 1980’s discharges.
By 1966, Lewis was one of the country’s best jazz musicians, beating the graphs with “The In Crowd”, “Hold tight Sloopy”, and “Swim in the Water”. Every one of the three singles each sold more than one million duplicates, and were granted gold discs. Many of his chronicles pulled in a huge non-jazz group of spectators.
During the 1970s, Lewis regularly played electric piano, in spite of the fact that by later in the decade he was adhering to acoustic and utilizing an extra keyboardist in his gatherings.
In 1994, Lewis showed up on the Red Hot Organization’s arrangement collection, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, nearby other conspicuous jazz specialists Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers. The collection, intended to bring issues to light and assets in the help of the AIDS pestilence in connection to the African American people group, was proclaimed as “Collection of the Year” by TIME magazine.
Notwithstanding recording and performing, Lewis has the week by week syndicated radio program Legends of Jazz, made in 1990 and right now syndicated by United Stations Radio Networks. He likewise facilitated the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show on Chicago “smooth jazz” radio station WNUA (95.5 FM).
In December 2006, at the beginning of today show turned out to be a piece of Broadcast Architecture’s Smooth Jazz Network, simulcasting on other smooth jazz stations the nation over until its crossing out in May 2009, when WNUA exchanged over to a Spanish organization.
In 2006, a generally welcomed 13-scene Legends of Jazz TV arrangement facilitated by Lewis was communicated on open TV across the country and highlighted live exhibitions by an assortment of jazz craftsmen including Larry Gray, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joey Defrancesco, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Kurt Elling, Benny Golson, Pat Metheny and Tony Bennett.
Lewis is the creative chief of Jazz at Ravinia (a yearly element at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois) and sorted out Ravinia’s Jazz Mentor Program. Ramsey likewise serves on the leading body of trustees for the Merit School of Music, a Chicago inward city music program and The Chicago High School for the Arts, the new open expressions secondary school in Chicago.
Right off the bat in 2005, the Ramsey Lewis Foundation was made to help associate in danger youngsters to the universe of music. As a branch of that establishment, Lewis intends to frame a Youth Choir and Youth Orchestra. In January 2007, the Dave Brubeck Institute welcomed Lewis to join its Honorary Board of Friends at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.
Lewis is an Honorary Board individual from the Chicago Jazz Orchestra. Lewis is an individual from Phi Beta Sigma society. In May 2008, Lewis got a privileged doctorate from Loyola University Chicago after conveying the keynote address at the undergrad beginning service.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine recorded Ramsey Lewis among several specialists whose material was purportedly obliterated in the 2008 Universal flame.
Ramsey Lewis Urban Knights
The Urban Knights are an all-star jazz fusion band. The Urban Knight’s debut album, Urban Knights I, was released in 1995 by GRP Records. Produced by Maurice White, the album features musicians such as Grover Washington, Jr., Omar Hakim, Freddie Hubbard, and The Emotions. The album reached the top five on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.
The jazz groups follow up LP, Urban Knights II was released in 1997 by GRP. Once again produced by Maurice White, the album features saxophonists Gerald Albright and Najee as well as guitarists Jonathan Butler, Verdine White, and Morris Pleasure.
During 2000, the group’s third studio album, Urban Knights III, was issued on Narada Records. Artists such as Dave Koz, Earl Klugh, and Fareed Haque played upon the LP.
Ramsey Lewis’ Urban Knights III (Narada Jazz 708 76-15201-2-5; 51:44) exploits the urban sophistication and stylish blue roots of its Chicago setting, making a stronger statement than either of the preceding Urban Knights projects. Where “Far and Away” brings together popping bass and dark acoustic piano for a funky elegance, “Sweet Home Chicago” reflects the bustle of the city in its hopping, bluesy keyboard feel.
Another standout track, “The Gypsy,” sets warm acoustic guitar lines gliding across the heavy, urban feel of slap percussion, lending a gentle sophistication to its modern street scene. Although other pieces here (“Do You Still Think About Me,” this month’s popular cover “I’m Not in Love”) are given more standard, heavy-breathing, programmed R&B treatments, Lewis and his standout Chicago ensemble end the Urban Knights trilogy on a strong note.
Ramsey Lewis Awards and Recognition
-1965 Best Jazz Performance – Small Group or Soloist with Small Group Won
-1965 Record of the Year Nominated
-1966 Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance – Vocal or Instrumental Won
-1973 Best Rhythm & Blues Instrumental Performance Won
Gold records
-1965 The In Crowd
-1966 Hang On Ramsey!
-1966 Wade in the Water
-1968 Sound of Christmas
-1976 Sun Goddess
Recognition
-2002: Lewis participated in the 2002 Winter Olympics torch relay, lighting the cauldron for its brief stop in Chicago.
-2003: NAACP Image Award, Best Jazz Artist, for his album Simple Pleasures (2003)
-2006: 22nd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Best Gospel Instrumental Album, With One Voice (2005)
-2007: National Endowment for the Arts, Jazz Masters Award
-2007: Landmarks Illinois, Legendary Landmark Award, as one of living treasures of Illinois. “Just like our landmarked buildings, our three Legendary Landmarks have been critical to the civic well-being of Chicago and stand as a testimony to the greatness of our cultural integrity,” said David Bahlman, president of Landmarks Illinois.
-Ramsey Lewis was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State’s highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1997 in the area of The Performing Arts.
Ramsey Lewis Discography
-1956 Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing
-1956 Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Jazz
-1958 Lem Winchester and the Ramsey Lewis Trio
-1959 Down to Earth EmArcy
-1959 An Hour with the Ramsey Lewis Trio
-1960 Stretching Out
-1960 The Ramsey Lewis Trio in Chicago
-1961 More Music from the Soil
-1961 Never on Sunday
-1961 Sound of Christmas
-1962 The Sound of Spring
-1962 Country Meets the Blues
-1962 Bossa Nova
-1963 Pot Luck
-1963 Barefoot Sunday Blues
-1964 Bach to the Blues
-1964 The Ramsey Lewis Trio at the Bohemian Caverns
-1964 More Sounds of Christmas
-1964–65 You Better Believe Me
-1965 The In Crowd
-1965 Hang On Ramsey
-1965 Choice! The Best Of The Ramsey Lewis Trio’
-1966 Wade in the Water
-1966 The Movie Album
-1966 Goin’ Latin
-1967 Dancing in the Street
-1967 Up Pops Ramsey Lewis
-1968 Maiden Voyage
-1968 Mother Nature’s Son
-1968 Ramsey Lewis Live in Tokyo
-1969 Another Voyage
-1969 The Piano Player
-1970 Them Changes
-1971 Back to the Roots
-1972 The Groover Cadet
-1972 The Best of Ramsey Lewis
-1974 Solid Ivory
-1972 Upendo Ni Pamoja
-1973 Funky Serenity
-1973 Ramsey Lewis’ Newly Recorded All-Time Non-Stop Golden Hits
-1974 Solar Wind
-1974 Sun Goddess
-1975 Don’t It Feel Good
-1976 Salongo
-1977 Love Notes
-1977 Tequila Mockingbird
-1978 Legacy
-1979 Ramsey
-1980 Routes
-1981 Blues for the Night Owl
-1981 Three Piece Suite
-1982 Ramsey Lewis Live at the Savoy
-1982 Chance Encounter
-1983 Les Fleurs
-1983 Reunion
-1984 The Two of Us – with Nancy Wilson
-1985 Fantasy
-1987 Keys to the City
-1988 Classic Encounter
-1989 We Meet Again – with Billy Taylor
-1989 Urban Renewal
-1992 Ivory Pyramid
-1993 Sky Islands
-1994 Urban Knights I
-1996 Between the Keys
-1997 Urban Knights II
-1998 Dance of the Soul
-1999 Appassionata
-2000 Urban Knights III
-2001 Urban Knights IV
-2002 Meant to Be – with Nancy Wilson
-2003 Urban Knights V
-2003 Simple Pleasures – with Nancy Wilson
-2004 Time Flies
-2005 Urban Knights VI
-2005 With One Voice
-2009 Songs from the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey
-2011 Taking Another Look
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